Men ’ s Health
Veterans Show the Way
Men returning home from war have , from a place of great anguish and turmoil , created a model of care that is helping everyone .
The Veterans and Veterans Family Counselling Service ( VVCS ) takes a whole-of-life approach to tackling the issues that trouble the physical and mental health of veterans and their families and it stands as a remarkable testament to a group of Vietnam veterans who said ‘ enough is enough ’.
As they returned in 1972 to a society they felt had rejected them , Vietnam veterans gave each other support and it wasn ’ t long before they realised they shared more than just their wartime experiences . There were physical symptoms of a war waged in the tropics with chemicals and symptoms of mental anguish such as anxiety , hyperarousal and anger .
Then the lobbying of government began , which led firstly to the classification of PTSD as a result of combat in 1980 and by 1982 , with funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs , the Vietnam Veterans Counselling Service was established . Back then it was staffed with professional counsellors supporting volunteers and now , 30 years on , it has evolved into a fully professional service with 15 centres across Australia .
The director of the WA service , Mr Glen Menezes , said the veteran community was still at the heart of VVCS and Vietnam veterans were still the largest users of the service across Australia .
“ The Redgum song Only 19 is exactly what Vietnam veterans were experiencing . The rashes that come and go , the nightmares , the flashbacks , the jumpiness with backfiring cars , helicopters , relationship issues and inability to get on with their civilian lives – all the symptons that have been categorised under the four clusters of PTSD .”
“ Partners were driving a lot of it – which is typical of most men ’ s health . They were saying ‘ if you don ’ t get help , I ’ m walking out the door and taking the kids with me ’. In fact a lot of them did do that and this breakdown of their psychosocial life led them to seeking some help .”
“ GPs are probably the first people to see these symptoms and working strategically with GPs has become a core part of our work .”
The VVCS and the DVA are working with Medicare locals especially in areas where there are known clusters of veterans to support and encourage GPs to identify who is a veteran and their family members so they can be directed to a raft of health services .
“ This identification is the biggest issue we need to approach . We did a project in 2008 with the WA GP Network ( Pathways to Care ) to identify veterans and their families and the cluster of symptoms that they are likely
��Director of the Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Serviced
to present with . A veteran is not going to walk into a surgery with PTSD , or anxiety , stamped on their forehead .”
“ Families of veterans have their own cluster of symptoms that are different from other families . We know that children of Vietnam veterans have significant adjustment issues as a result of growing up with a veteran parent and we ’ re finding that similar anecdotal evidence from families who have been involved in more recent conflicts .”
“ But it is also broader than that . Research is showing that people living with someone with a mental health illness can also have similar symptoms . The VVCS provides services for families as well and last year saw about 1200 clients . About 40 % are veterans , about 25 % partners , 25 % children and other family members make up the remainder .”
“ The VVCS is an uncapped and free service for veterans . There are 72 contracted counsellors across the state as well as at the head office in Applecross . For parts of the state that we can ’ t reach , we use Teleheath which is being used well and effectively .
The service does not have a time limit , with
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Glen adding that some of the children of Vietnam veterans are approaching 50 and the service will continue until it is no longer needed .
“ We have sent more people to warzones in Timor , Afghanistan and Iraq than we did to Vietnam . However , we have learnt the lessons from Vietnam about how to work collaboratively with veterans so there is broad support across the board .”
Glen said that more veterans were coming forward and he attributes the education of high ranking officials in the ADF as the breakthrough but added that with the increasing number of women in the forces , DVA services are not male services .
“ Support from such high ranks helps destigmatise mental health , so we ’ re getting people from all walks of life and ages putting their hand up saying I need help .”
“ In broader government terms there ’ s a realisation that mental health support is a force multiplier with benefits for the entire community .” �
Veteran Fact Box
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By Ms Jan Hallam
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